Road Show

Well fans and fannies, I am off on the road again today. The little Chevy truck is packed to the gills and I am ready to hit the pavement. As many of you may or may not know, the shows come fast and frequent from now until the end of the year. This is making gravy time as after December...no shows until April! Cecil has been in the studio with me making jewelry too! I sell everything he makes faster than flipping flapjacks, so I appreciate his help, mucho! He made an amazing two strand bracelet with petrified wood stones and copper...I am sorely tempted to keep it for myself, but ahhh, someone out there will LOVE it too...

Cactus Mary (www.cactusmary.com) is going with us (me and my pard, Jan) for the first time. Mary makes hand crafted soaps and potions, incense, essential oils, loofas, etc. and also handmade paper greeting cards (designed by her mate David, buddhahead arts, inc.) She is an Aspenfest (Ruidoso, NM) virgin and we have taken her under our wing and will treat her gently. Besides, I am ADDICTED to her soap!!! and need to keep her by my side.

The leaves will be turning (hopefully the blessed rains haven't ruined the show) and the golden aspens and red leaved oaks will be a crazy quilt among the deep greens of the ponderosas and firs. I can almost smell the mountain air now tinged with the mesquite and pinon smoke from fireplaces. It is cool during the day and nippy at night, a welcome relief from the desert (although we have had some rain too lately.)

We will be staying with Robyn (posse member) and John who make us as comfortable and as cozy as bugs. Bless them!!! I am looking towards this trip, seeing my beloved Sierra Blanca and old and new friends.

Will tune in when I can... Ya'll take care and play nice. Visualize Peace...!

SooZen

The Bash A Smash

The birthday bash was a big success...Wine, women, songs and cigarettes. Hah! The men were there too, thankfully, and provided much needed entertainment. Not much time right now to go into the details but it was a great evening and I am grateful for my friends...my real treasures.

There was a slightly sad note and someone out there forgot my birthday...someone, you know who you are...who should have celebrated the day with me and not a word, a card, an email. I know you are busy, but damn, it was my BIRTHDAY!!! And I never forget yours, never for I was there... (Get over it Soo! Hah!)

I have a killer schedule coming up (I hope it doesn't really kill me) and my posts here may be few and far between. Starting next weekend with Aspenfest in Ruidoso, I have shows almost every weekend until January...then I get a long, three month break, except for the bead show in Tucson *and that ain't work!* so hang in there kiddies and folkies, I will be back or have a broken back or something...

As many of you know, I love to write and I am a regular on many writer forums, in fact, I may even have a 'reputation' Gasp! I write poetry, haiku (more than poetry) and short stories. Here is a poem I wrote yesterday:

PUT ANOTHER BUFFALO IN THE JUKEBOX BABY

sometimes the silence between the words is all i can hear
deaf to pleas, done with conversations, digging
holes in spaces, writing these dots...connecting dots, collecting
dots...

i am going to be one of those old women that you see in
outlandish clothing, polished like glass, fragile but tempered.
o that temper, that temper! when you pass, you will say,
"look at her, she must be crazy" in a polite whisper...

there is no thing polite about me except "howdy", and a
warm touch, a snort when i laugh, loud enough to frighten
my own children, i peel you back and look interior... a view,
an intuition, a psychic vision...and if you venture closer...

claws in one hand, hardly trimmed, but poised...sometimes
a fist, a hammer, a rock hard slap in the face that hurts you where
you hide out...then a touch, a soothing word, an apology that is
carried in my bag, a tissue for you to blow it out on the other
hand...

i will be one of those old crones that smiles when you question, nod my head agreeable, mirror and shapeshift to your face, your mask that lies *liar!* in front of me. you may see, you may see me, that old and still beautiful woman who smiles when you question...

saturn, the old man *very old man* takes a stroll with me, he is ringed, bejeweled, and passing out chickens like cigars to all the houses on my block...naked saturn, with hula hoop frown, lives in the 9th house on the block...he'll stay awhile, a guest that runs around in his birthday suit...flashing me as he passes...dirty old man...revealing all...

and another milestone passes on the road, this long windy, pock-marked, rocky road with a view that would stagger anyone by it's very lucidity...a cormorant flew over me, escaped from japanese fishing village only to view the rio grande...double rainbows, twins, before my day, crossed the mountains...i see...i sea...Susan Elizabeth Appleby...SEA, see?

i want, or should i say, i desire (cannot escape the desire, nor do i want to, yet) him still, he who suffers the slings, the arrows, the darted looks, the lidded eyes, aye, him, the thing, the one i most cherish and love must suffer with me...for we suffer the most the ones we love...

when i get old, older, i will dwell in dreams, live in light, that woman you pass on the street, whisper, "she must be crazy, look at her eyes...she must be..."


SooZen
9-26-2004
day after...

Here is a piece I recently sold (yippee!), vintage german glass beads, india glass, copper beads, and czech glass and crystal, lampwork pendant by Marco Marcus (17 years old at the time).

You say it's your birthday...?

The birthday gifts and greetings are starting to roll in (but where is that package from Rio Grande Jewelry supply that is three days late? I need that stuff!).

Here is a list so far:

1. Big ass box of Henry and David jellies and preserves from the folks including Blueberry and Meyer Lemon, Strawberry and Rhubarb, Apricot!, Bing Cherry, and Plum...there's more, but those are my faves. Funny thing, around here, biscuits are King (someone has to be KING! so we named biscuits), and we have to have a little jelly or something with them (gravy is Queen)...I was running low on preserves, box arrived just in time! Hah! BTW, Pillsbury makes a frozen biscuit that is pretty close to homemade.

2. A beautiful, beautiful card from the folks telling me how much they LOVE ME! Whooohooo!

3. A card and book from Leti. Leti, is an old and wonderful friend and she sends me the neatest stuff! The book is very old with a soft, worn leather cover, called "The Beauties of FRIENDSHIP," copywrite 1906. Pages are linen with deckled edges, handbound with a leather thong. Leti is the Thriftshop Queen as opposed to the Bead Queen (me) and finds the most unique and appropriate things...this gift was so amazing!

4. A t-shirt and card from Alan and Shari, my brother and sis-in-law (she and I are closer than bugs in a rug and drive my brother crazy when we get together. Hah!) Anyway the t-shirt says "silly boys" next line in hot pink, "Trucks" next line, "are for girls!" Now, if you are not a southern girl with a Truck, you may not get it. I get it and was very amused!!! (I played with Tonka when a kid, had a little blue pickup with horse trailer) I LOVE my real Truck, a little white Chevy S10 that I haul my tent show around in. It was a Mothers Day gift from my boys and mate. Cool gift from the sibs (Alan, Shari), but Richard and Karen (posse member) didn't get it...o well, I DID! Hah!

5. Cecil gave me a new CD by Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra (doncha love that band name?), I heart Jai and this is one with meditative chants on it, "Music for Yoga and Other Joys." He is also taking me OUT to dinner Saturday nite to celebrate with a few close friends, there will be wine and song...a gift that keeps on giving...o yeah, and a couple of tequila shot glasses that are hand engraved (for both of us), one is for a 'writer' and one for a 'artist' (we can mix and match)...long and tall and very cool. Also some new bead mags (trip to the bookstore!)for continuing inspiration and dreaming.

6. I got myself a 'brand new bag' (insert James Brown impression here). I could write reams about bags...I LOVE bags but I get attached to the one I carry and carry it 'till it will carry no more. For all of you that don't know, I call a 'purse' a 'bag'. I am the original 'bag lady', I have bags for show stuff, bags for shopping, bags for storing bags, well enough bags to bag the world. My purse bag is another matter, I use that bag like a backpack, it has to have backpack possibilities, lots of pockets on the outside for an address book, checkbook, show calendar, little notebook for reminders and creative thoughts, camera (cheapo for me to take candid shots with a finger on the lens), ciggies and flame...you get the idea and it has to be not too heavy to haul. Found just the right bag at Ross (bless Ross!). Got black leather, looks like a saddlebag, which suits me great! Enough about bags already!!!!

That's it for now...I will be sure and let you know what else comes in..."aren't cha 'cited?" (as Nate says.) Hah!

Cats in the Cradle...Let's get political

Well, I couldn't let this day go by without commenting on the rerouting of Yusuf Islam's (formally Cat Stevens) flight to the US, his detention and deportation back to England. Cat has been 'Islam' for at least 25 years, he converted to Islam due to his peaceful nature and concern for people. He is not, nor has he ever been, to my knowledge, a terrorist or a threat to anyone. We that grew up in the sixties are well acquainted with Cat, he was a sweet, gentle soul that crooned about peace, love and understanding. He stopped playing his music publicly for awhile, devoting his time to his Muslim faith and some charity gigs. He started a school for Muslim children in Britain, the only private school there that got government funding.

When the US government pulled Islam off that plane, they pulled more than him from his seat...They pulled a bit of you and me too. Just because he is MUSLIM, he is suspicious, a threat. What's up with that??? What is happening to our country? Our freedoms? Think about that on November 3 and for all the world's sake, please vote your conscious.

The following is an excerpt from the Associated Press Wire Service:

"Everybody knows who I am. I am no secret figure. Everybody knows my campaigning for charity, for peace. There's got to be a whole lot of explanation," he said.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw complained Wednesday to U.S. officials about their treatment of Islam, telling Secretary of State Colin Powell "that this action should not have been taken," the Foreign Office confirmed.

The Foreign Office declined to say what he meant by "this action" - whether it was Islam's detention, or his inclusion on the watch list.

Straw's protest was a reversal of the Foreign Office's hands-off position earlier Wednesday, when a spokeswoman had said "the reasons for his detention and return are obviously a matter for the U.S. and not for us."

Okay, I've had my say...back to my world:

Tonight I have an opening at a local gallery, Mel Clarkston's Gallery & Studio, where my jewelry will be featured. Mel, a wonderful, delightful and down right cute gal and her musician husband, James opened this gallery last year to feature local artists and their output. Unfortunately, here in 'struggle town' (that's what Cecil calls Phar Lepht) selling art is, well, a struggle, especially 'contemporary' art. Cec and I contributed some of his canvases and prints and my collages for the walls. People would come in like it was a museum, comment on how wonderful the art was and walk out the door... Mel and James had to do something, this little gallery and their art and music lessons pay the bills, after all. So they are going the gift shoppe/art gallery route. Mel has started making adorable painted purses (she is making me a funky, gypsy-cowgirl purse! Hah!) and James is making wooden clocks. They haven't given up on their art, they just had to get another horse mid-stream. That is how you survive as 'artists', you have to give the public their due and right now, 'functional' is key to selling art. Women will always buy jewelry (thank you women!) but 'wall art' is another thing. Cecil is gonna have to rethink his focus and we are going towards the 'gift shoppe' tent show direction. Wish us luck! We want to make our artistic life a rewarding one and of course, PAY BILLS!

Cec is taking the digital camera tonight, I hope to have pictures of the event soon, check back.

This Saturday, September 25, Jan and I have a little one day show in the upper Rio Grande valley at a Methodist church in their new Fellowship Hall. We would usually be doing Phar Lepht's Art in the Park (which we LOOOOVE!) but the city is redoing the park, putting in new bathrooms, a new fence (the ubiquitous rock walls that Phar Lepht is so famous for ~ opps, don't look at where they are blasting away the Franklin Mtns. for all that rock!), a new permanent stage for the entertainment, ecetera, ecetera. It should be done (I said SHOULD but knowing Phar Lepht...)by showtime next spring. Let's all keep our eyes crossed.

Anyway, (I sure can ramble on, can't I? heh.)this Saturday is mine and Jan's birthday!!! Applause is welcome, I made it to 56 and that is no small feat! Jan and I have shared more than birthdays all our lives. She is a Libra with a Scorpio moon (watch out!) and I am a Libra with a Scorpio accendant (scary mask!) but we are both really airheads. We have know each other since 7th grade, been sisters-in-law for a very short time, d-i-v-o-r-c-e-d those boys and married the loves of our lives. We always spend our birthdays together, even in those busy years of raising our children, she kept the tradition up and come Sept. 25, we were together. I have some nice surprises for her, and I ain't telling here because she reads this burp ('cuse me.)
After the show, we are going to Richards and Karen's (part of my Posse) to 'fluff up' (as Karen calls cleaning up the sweat and reapplying face) and then on to an Open House where a friend of theirs has built a replica of an Anasazi (however that's spelled, them's ancient Indians) ruin in his front yard. Should be interesting, huh? Then we will go on to Ardivinos on the mesa, above Sunland Park, New Mexico, an old Phar Lepht area establishment, and shall sit on the patio, smoking and joking (well, Cec and I are smoking) and looking out over the valley and the lights. I expect gifts and more gifts of friends, good times and a bottle of vino. Will let you know how it all goes...

Here is a pair of earrings which will be in the gallery show, Japanese Sen coins with citrine, branch coral and red agate, cute! aren't they? heh.:

Pictures, White Sands Invitational Balloon Rally

Launch site, White Sands National Monument



Heather



Ona red hat and Jack (new puppy) in the pack



Inflation



John and Heather's balloon taking flight



balloons launching



balloons aloft



Bird in flight



John and Heather away...





all pictures by Cecil Lee, September 18, 2004

The Dragon's Breath

Imagine...Floating...The earth slowly moving beneath you, the sky a turquoise blue, the distant mountains a purple silhouette, the white sands underneath sparkle like crystal as the emerging light hits the prisms of gypsum and the sound of a dragon's breath breaks the silence. WHOOSSSSHHHHH!!! You slowly, slowly spin and turn, you ride the beautiful dragon as her fire rises above your head, her colorful skin the colors of rainbows or chakras. Elves scurry below her, watching your every move as she rises into the morning sunrise... Wait! This is not my imagination (although it is yours), I am really watching the dragons, the elves and in the midst of it all, that beautiful scene. Let me start from the beginning...

John and Cathy are old and dear friends, we have known them a very long time and have shared many life adventures. All my friends, my family, are my treasures. Far above material things, it is the people that people your life that are those gifts that keep giving. Instead of waxing philosophical here, I just want to impress how important it is to stay connected. My friends John, Cathy, their children, Ona (C), Heather, Cindy, John's sister Ona (B) and her husband Bob are all treasures. We have stayed connected even though John, Cathy and family have moved far away from Phar Lepht. John's passion has always been the sky, flight, he is Icarus, the winged god, that liked to fly too close to the sun. Many times he has crashed back to earth (both literally and figuratively) but each time, he rises phoenix like, to fly again. Cathy loves John, she does not like to fly like John and instead, has been his support crew, making sure that everything is there so he can fly again. Ona (C) and Cindy have families and John and Cathy's grandchildren. Heather is like her dad, she likes to fly too and has become his partner in this adventure.

Cec and I rarely get to see this family, once or twice a year Ona (B), John's sister who also does the art show circuit with her husband Bob (Outta My Gourd, painted and carved gourds)lets us know so we know when they are coming to town. We try and see them, meeting at Ona's house for a party or just a quick hello. It is never long enough but it is a connection we all treasure. This last show (Kermezaar), Ona and I were chatting and she let us know that John was coming but that Cathy had a new grandbaby and would not be able to make this trip. I found out that instead, Heather was coming with her dad and I had not seen Heather since she was a child and since I had no show this weekend, I was determined to see them both.

This was no easy task as both of the boys (Cecil and Nathan) are not crazy about getting up at 3 am and riding for two hours to a spot in the desert where you may or may not see something happening. "It might be windy" he groused, "It might not happen and I don't like getting up that early!" This time, I gave them no choice, I stood firmly against their resistance, despite their 'grumping' and packed a picnic lunch, got the folding chairs ready by the door and Cecil set the alarm for 3. I was a brick wall and they could not get passed my will of mortar. Saturday, it was not bright, but it was early, they stumbled to the car and we headed out in the desert darkness to White Sands National Monument, a good 1 1/2 to two hour drive. I was my usual chatty, happy, chipmunk self... They were gloomily silent, as we drove through the starred night.

White Sands is an anomaly, you may have heard of the place...There is an Air Force base near there, Holloman (hollow man? hah!), and the small berg of Alamogordo where an air and space museum resides. The white sand is gypsum, a crystalline mineral and the dunes lay in the Tularosa Basin, slowly drifting across the landscape, stark white against the surrounding tan desert and the deep green Sacramentos and purple Organ mountains. We arrived at the gate to find hundreds of cars, trucks and RV's sitting in the parking lot, waiting. The party had already started. We ended up following the crowd to a viewing point, and as Cecil parked, I knew we where in the wrong place. Instead of arguing with him (about that, heh.) I leaped out and started walking through the throngs of viewers until I spotted a Ranger that was parking cars on the hard flat, white surface. "Where do the crews go?" I shouted, he smiled, "You are in the wrong place...Go back down the road and take a left. Talk to the Ranger there, he will direct you." Aha! My ingenuity and will worked again. We found Ona (B) and Bob and then were directed to John and Heather who were sitting and waiting by their truck and trailer for the pilot's meeting and the start of the event: The White Sands Invitational Hot Air Balloon Rally! (Kisses and hugs all around.) Cec and I had flown with John several times before and our oldest, Noah, had flown when he was but four or five years old. I trusted John, he was a good pilot and knew what to do in a high wind landing. I had had one of those with him before and survived. Today, the wind gods were kind, the sun god was peeking over the dunes, the happy buddha was happy, it was a perfect day to fly.

Cecil and I didn't fly this day, we crewed for Heather and John. A young air force pilot, who was a test pilot, and flew all types of prototype jets (the F15 is his favorite) crewed with us. He was going to get his first hot air balloon flight... He worked the lines, unfolded yards of nylon, followed orders and then got into the basket with John, Heather, and Judy (an old and dear friend of Ona (B)'s who is now handicapped.) Cec and I watched from the top of a large dune, Nathan went in the chase truck with Ona and Bob. John tried to get him to fly, but Nate hates to fly, "I'm afraid of heights!" and he wouldn't get in the basket. He rode in the truck though, as Bob followed the balloon. From our vantage point, we could see the surrounding dunes, the balloons as they circled in what is called a 'box' where the winds move different directions, depending on height, taking the balloons first one direction, then back towards us again and John's truck as Bob chased the balloon.

Imagine once again, the white of the sand, the early morning sun, the whoosh of the burners, the silent floating of thirty-five brilliantly colored, Easter egg-like balloons. There were a couple of shaped balloons too, these shaped balloons are always a hit with the crowds. Tweety Bird (or maybe she was a duck?) was there, she sat up in the space next to us. Smokey Bear (NOT 'the' Bear, okay Bob?) had his hat on. A balloon that had a small balloon looking as if it crashed into it was the strangest one. A beautiful tan balloon with painted kachinas (southwestern indian gods) all around the perimeter was my favorite (other than John's, okay John?).

After packing the balloon we headed back to Alamogordo where the event promoters held a picnic for all the pilots and crew. Food, gas (pilots need gas) and shady trees abound. John and Cliff (another pilot and friend) held the ceremonial first flight ceremony with a good dousing of champagne and pinning [guys are pinned on their zippers (yes, that zipper!) and girls pinned on their chest (yes that chest!)]. Ona pinned Dan, our fighter pilot and Cliff pinned the gals. Dan and I chatted afterwards as we sat in the shade eating, "you know what I loved about the balloons?" he mused. I could see the light in his eyes, "Well, what?" I asked, smiling back. "I have flown high and that is great, I have flown fast and that is wonderful, but the drifting inches above those dunes, just barely floating above the ground, I LOVED THAT!!" he grinned. Another convert, John should be proud. I know he is proud of Heather, she has got it covered and her beauty really shines through when she is with her dad, flying that dragon.

Mixed Bag of Tricks

Like anything in life, no thing is either good or bad except for how we perceive it. I just finished another show on Sunday and this one is/was a biggie for me. The process for getting into big shows is an arduous task. You need to have professional (I am getting there) slides, pay your exorbitant booth fee and the extra fee for the jury that looks at said slides, make your creations and you as artists look unique, interesting, but not too eager in a few short lines (haiku helps with that) and stay abreast of other artist's feelings about whether a show is good, bad or just plain ugly.

We met all the criteria for getting into this extravaganza but come to find out, the old girl just ain't what she used to be. Kermezaar used to be THE premier show in the Southwest. Artists came from all over the place to be in this show. Times have changed and so has the show. Management or the show promoters now are a group of well-heeled elder women who sit on the board of the El Paso International Museum of Art. These women who volunteer their time and money to make this show a so called 'success' have no clue whatsoever what it means to be an artist, especially an artist that makes a living off of their art. Sadly, their patronizing attitudes and resistance to any suggestions for change are killing what once was a glorious event. As one of our elder artist vendors who has done this show for twelve years said at the artist's confab, "If you guys don't do something none of the artists who travel hundreds of miles to do this show will not come back and you will kill this goose!" Many local artists suggested that a vendor, an artist that makes their bread doing shows sit on their board. "We do have artists on our board!" was the haughty answer. (Come to find out, those artists are nice, elderly ladies that do art demos during the shows and not us folks that set up booths, work hard at our craft, and depend on these shows to survive, literally.) Nothing was as it seemed, all of the information in our packets changed or was incorrect. We couldn't park our trucks and trailers where we were told to park them, they nickeled and dimed us for every little thing and worst of all, they acted as if they were doing all these fine artists a favor . Some good folks who did some amazing photography were in the booth next to us. They had traveled clear across Texas from the Louisiana border, a long, long drive and they were soul and grace personified. The husband, a fine old gent commented to me, "I knew the personality of this show when I turned in my required $50 dollar donation (note: why call it a donation?) of art to them and the ladies behind the counter brushed me off with a quick, "I'm busy, put it over there and I'll get to it." " This is the most artist unfriendly show I have ever done" was his last comment to me as we were all packing up to leave. It is a sad, sad commentary on what had once been a amazing show. I will quit my belly-aching and tell you the good stuff.

All of the juried shows have artists as judges that go around and JUDGE you, your art, your booth layout and design, and I'm sure, your attitude. We don't usually know who the judges are as they are really sneaky and quiet and we are hopefully, too busy to notice them. We (my partner Jan and I) don't usually pay that much attention to them anyways as we have done enough of these shows to know that even if we consider our booth (and we get mucho positivo comments all the time from customers) delightful, creative, colorful and just plain old wonderful, it is also a bit too funky and edgy for most shows or show judges as our gypsy souls shows throughout. Only the categories that have 10 or more entrants even get judged and we always get judged because their are a plethora (I like to use that word when I get the chance) of jewelers in any of the shows and they always lump us together unlike distinguishing other types of art, i.e. watercolors, acrylics, oils, etc. Fine gold and precious stone jewelers are in with us bead and wire jewelers. I don't think they like that much either but that is the way the shows do it. Anyway, your chances of winning a top award as a jewelry booth is somewhere between that 'snowball in hell' and 'it would be a miracle'. Lo and behold! It was a miracle, WE WON!!! A Texan always starts a brag by saying, "Now, I'm not bragging but..." Hey, I'm bragging on us!, We got the big ass ribbon, the $50 certificate for next year's booth fee (helped make up for that 'donation' I talked about before) and of course, Braggin' Rights which shouldn't be underestimated. We were as proud as a bluetick hound with a new litter of pups!

Now, after all that grouching about how the promoters treated the artists, we did have a great show but that wasn't in any measure due to them, it was our hard work and efforts. The background music at the show put you to sleep, the turnout by the public was dismal, most of the artists there were not happy campers but we had a GREAT show! We raked in the bucks, we sold left and right (mostly lepht), we rocked! Those few folks that did show up went straight to our booth, it was packed most of the time. Jan and I promote ourselves, we keep a mailing list of regular customers, we send out postcards and hand them out at preceding shows, we are incredibly nice to any and all and our stuff speaks for itself.

On Sunday, I had a very painful incident, a back spasm with paralyzing pain. It was near the end of the show and I had to call mate Cecil to come and help Jan tear down. I kept it fairly together until all my stuff was packed as I am one of those particular, very picky persons that has to have things just so and am especially so when it comes to my art. I want it packed right and I was helpless as a worm on hot pavement. Cec, bless him, was patient and didn't get too frustrated with my demands. He has seen this happen to me a couple of times before and only when I was tired, not sleeping well, and stressed. I had worked the show a week before and didn't get much rest for this one as I needed to make more stuff to have a good inventory of my art. Jan, bless her too, had to manage the booth most of the day. Anyway, that was the worst thing that happened and as soon as I hobbled into my bed, got some stir fried brown rice and vegies from Cec, a good nights sleep and a few naps on Monday, I am doing good, just a bit twingey and the pain is gone back to whence it came.

It was good, it was bad, and it got kinda ugly there at the end but all in all, it was another experience that taught me mucho. I am very grateful today for being, as my Dad always says, "On this side of the dirt..."

And to end this ramble, I had planned on digital photos of the booth, the big ass ribbon and some of our customers but I planned that on Sunday and it didn't happen as the pain got in the way. Instead, here is a bracelet that I sold, double strand, artist lampwork beads by friends Debbie Thomas from San Antonio and Karen Cascio, El Paso, wire beads and beaded circles by SooZen and silver beads from Bali. As you can tell, I love bracelets, I always wear at least two and sometimes more. I am a gypsy, after all...

Charmed

Here is a charm bracelet that I sold at my last show in Ruidoso Downs. It contains dangles made of Indonesian lampwork glass, Bali silver beads, Czech fire-polished crystal and sterling chain.

Mountain gods

It is always a joy, pleasure and something I look forward to when I go to the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico. That old saying that if you could bottle the air you could make a million sure applies to how I feel about the atmosphere there. Something about the altitude, the smell of the ponderosa pines, and the coolness refreshes my soul. If I am feeling sad or worried those emotions give way as soon as I hit the outskirts of Ruidoso, a magical place. The crafts show I did Labor Day weekend is not usually a big money maker for myself and partner Jan but any excuse to go to the mountains will do. This year was a surprise, a pleasant surprise, as we did very well and better than the last two years we have been there. This was definitely a bonus for us.

We stay with old and dear friends who have a delightful home there. John and Robyn are always welcoming and generous to a fault. Our show ran from Saturday to Monday. On Saturday night John made home-made green chile chicken enchiladas and Robyn invited other friends to join us that evening. We had a killer dinner waiting for us after the show Saturday which included wine from friend Karen, green chile cheese casserole from friends Linda and Bill and my pomegranate salsa. WoW! says it all.

Many of the vendors at the show are there year after year and have become friends. Jan and I enjoy catching up with their lives and the show circuit with them. All of these folks have a great sense of humor and patience up the yingyang developed from years of dealing with all kinds of show situations like bad weather, bad promotions, bad turnouts, etc. We have a regular spot at this show as do many of the others but ours is under the only tree in the parking lot of the Senior Center where the event is held. Pitching our tent is like coming home. The Ruidoso Downs (that's a little burb outside the little burb of Ruidoso) Auxiliary made up of dedicated volunteers who use the gate fee and vendor fees to raise money for scholarships for kids there. The couple that have been the mainstay of the auxiliary are leaving next year to be near their grandchildren. That is certainly understandable but they will be sorely missed as those two have made this show homey and most certainly friendly. I hope their replacements are as organized and gracious as they have been. We will see...

One of the neatest things about doing these shows is the people that come into your tent and relate to what you are creating. We met an incredible woman that had raised four girls in NYC and was vacationing with them in Ruidoso (hey, I told you it was a great place!). She was originally from Jamaica and had the sing-song accent of that country intact. One of her daughters was an artist and gave us a brochure of her beautiful art. Her mother was full of wisdom and eccentricities. She embraced life with a fervor and gusto. Her children were beautiful, in appearance and demeanor. Plus, they loved our stuff and all of them bought pieces to take back home to New York. She gave us a big hug and blessing when she left (they came two days in a row to the show) and good feelings all around.

Like I said earlier, this was a great show for us this year but since I have another big show starting Friday, I am going to be busy trying to fill holes in my inventory that I certainly didn't expect. That is the catch...You want to sell everything in your booth but that means you have to go back to the studio and work your butt off to get ready for the next event. I am happy to work at something that is a passion for me. How fortunate can one be? Hah! Ten shows left in this year then a break in January. I think I will be ready for a break by then.

house at pooh corner

I think it's a good idea to keep your eye on what is going on in the world but I declined to watch the RNC last night. I figured, I didn't need the aggravation as Cheney tends to do that to me. I did see Zell Miller (who calls himself a democrat. Get a grip!) call Chris Matthews out for a duel. Chris was trying to make the point that demos and repubs in the House and Senate vote on bills or don't vote on bills many times according to what is attached to them. They all do it and to single out Kerry was a bit unfair. Zell took exception to being questioned on that matter and 'took exception' is a mild observation. Chris deserves everything he gets but Zell is out of control (literally) and makes Cheney look sane... Whatever that means. I have also noticed (as have most of the opposition) that Bin Laden's name is never mentioned in all of this fear-mongering. He is the terrorist but one would think that the biggest danger to our country is Kerry. Fear and loathing has new meaning...

The truth is that these white men in suits with their token women and people of color aren't talking about issues that concern me. In my family and friend circle, we are more concerned about jobs, health care costs, silly stuff like that. My son is currently jobless and looking, my husband is jobless and now none of us have health insurance. My dear friend Leti who moved to Seattle recently has qualifications up the yingyang and she can't find a job. Other friends are unable to retire because of what it takes to just survive nowadays. Instead of inspiring fear of what the Iraqis may do to us...How about what the Bushees have done to us and our country? I am most impressed by the positivism and hope of the DNC rather than the negativism and fears of the RNC. Finally (on this subject) it is too bad that our present system has no room for a third party for I believe in alternatives. Both sides are toeing the party line after all.

This will be my last post for awhile as the road beckons and I have three shows this month and four the next. That about covers every weekend for September and October. November and December will be just as busy. The days between are spent making stuff to restock, cleaning and repacking displays and of course, getting some rest. I will try and report in as to my fortunes or fame.

For your viewing pleasure, here is a pair of origami earrings which I experimented with: